Sacred Silence: How Graveyards Contribute to Mental Health and Conservation

Upon mentioning graveyards, you'll probably think of a lightly forested area associated with death and decorated with tombstones.

Although you'd be right, it’s also those exact attributes that provide such profound benefits in the first place.

Far away from being a mere burial ground, graveyards offer humans a place of tranquillity and reflection, whilst supporting wildlife.

Death Awareness and the Impact on Life

Starting with something called ‘Death Awareness,’ this sombre practice is the first step towards living a better life.

According to an analysis published in 2012, it states that thinking about death isn't a bad thing, for developing an awareness around mortality can bring more meaning and happiness into our lives.

This includes improving physical health, helping re-prioritise our goals and values. When contemplating death, we become more conscious of the precious limited time we have in this world.

In 2008, psychologist Matthew Gailliot and his colleagues decided to test how much someone would want to help a stranger if they were physically near a cemetery. The researchers observed people who were either passing through or around a block away with the cemetery being out of sight.

Actors placed at each location had conversations near the participants about the value of helping others, then moments later an actor dropped a notebook.

When the value of helping was made prominent, the number of people who helped the actor with their notebook was 40% greater at the cemetery than the results one block away from it.

This small example shows how just being inside a graveyard can greatly benefit our motivation and will to assist others.

How Cemeteries Benefit Nature

Aside from containing tombstones and sometimes a church, graveyards often have a variety of mixed habitats which support a wide range of fauna and flora.

From ancient woodland, heath, grasslands, to rivers can be found amongst the memorials, and each of them support their own unique collection of creatures.

Surprisingly, a large number of rarer creatures can also be found calling these places home. It’s not uncommon to visit a cemetery and see signs cautioning people to stay away from nesting birds or to keep an eye out for certain invertebrates.

It doesn't just stop at bugs and birds though, these areas also support varieties of fungi, trees, mammals, and depending on location, even reptiles.

The reason why wildlife benefit from cemeteries so much is simple: they're more secluded, less frequented by humans, and they are often not maintained, especially the rural and abandoned sites.

Across the UK, hundreds of graveyards and their churches lie abandoned, completely lost to time as nature reclaims the land. One such location is Barnes Cemetery in London.

Although situated near two sports centres, this old graveyard now remains hidden and mostly forgotten amongst the trees, likely seeing the fewest visitors since its creation in 1854.

However, it's in these quiet corners that are left overgrown and largely unfrequented where much wildlife can thrive. Cemeteries provide undisturbed environments, each supporting their own diverse ecosystem.

Not just limited to outside, bats also favour graveyards because churches offer a comfortable place to roost and hibernate, all whilst marauding the grounds for insects!

Life Over Death

These peaceful grounds are essential refuges for wildlife, fostering biodiversity amongst the gravestones, whilst simultaneously being a sombre setting for reflection and remembrance. Cemeteries not only preserve the memories of those passed, but also life itself.

Between mourning and finality, graveyards highlight the profound, yet often harsh truth that even in death, life continues.

Serving as a reminder to honor both the legacies left behind and the enduring beauty of nature, they create a lasting impression of renewal, resilience, and hope.